


Negotiations

by livvy_x



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Aftermath of 1x10, F/M, Pining (kinda), Sexual Tension
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-02-12
Packaged: 2019-10-27 07:12:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,578
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17762216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/livvy_x/pseuds/livvy_x
Summary: The aftermath of 1x10 and what is to come of Beth and Rio's relationship.





	Negotiations

**Author's Note:**

> My second fic for this fandom! Bare with me in updating. My writing has been slow lately, but I'm hoping to make this a good multichapter fic. Also, thanks for all the support of my last work!

“You wanna be the king, you gotta kill the king. This stuff’s medieval, darling.”

“Please don’t do this. Please don’t kill us.”

Rio’s face twisted when Beth said that. _Please don’t kill us._ He laughed, wickedly and evilly, as a man in his position is expected to. “I ain’t gonna kill nobody,” he chuckled like a child. Even in this dark room and even with the blood running down his face, he was beautiful. “Nah, man.” He shook his head. “You are,” he practically ordered. He reloaded his golden gun and slid it across the table. His face was set in stone now, serious and curious all at once. He folded his hands on the table and leaned forward, awaiting her decision.

Crying, Beth scurried forward and grabbed the gun. She pointed it straight ahead, not knowing whether it was aimed at Rio or Dean. Her hand was shaking so either way, if she was to pull the trigger, she knew it’d be a bad shot. Her heart was pounding in her chest. How did she get herself in this situation?

A slight smirk was on Rio’s face as he leaned back in his chair. He took one last glance at Dean and the damage he left on his face before looking back at Beth. She wasn’t going to surprise him, but he figured he might as well push her to her breaking point or something of the sort. She deserved it after sending him to jail and all. “So what you think…” Rio started. “You got what it takes?”

Beth replayed the words in her head as he said them. _You got what it takes? You got what it takes?_ Suddenly her tears stopped falling. Suddenly her hands stopped shaking. It just stopped. She just stared at Rio with the gun pointed at him. She scanned his expression… his upward chin, his angular brows, his questioning gaze. He was not scared. She wondered if he was afraid of anything. Then she scanned his face… the cut by his hairline, the blood on his cheek. He was still remarkably handsome with all those scrapes. She wondered if it hurt. It sure didn’t seem like it. Everything about him intrigued her. How could that be when they were in a situation like this?

Beth looked at her husband. Her heart broke for him simply because she never wanted him to involved in this. She never wanted anybody to get hurt. He had to do this type of stuff though, where he invaded privacy. The way Rio hurt him, she would never do. The way Rio threatens them, she would never do.

She lowered the gun and looked down at it. Slowly, she removed the clip. It was loaded and ready to shoot, but she wasn’t going to let that happen. Putting the clip in her pocket so he couldn’t get to it, she slid the gun back to the gangbanger. “I don’t want to be you,” she laughed breathlessly. “I never wanted to be you.” Her voice soundly abnormally cool for how it sounded before.

Rio leaned forward again. He knew she wouldn’t shoot. “What is it you do want?”

“I want to play this game,” Beth claimed assertively. “I want to keep doing this _with you_.” Her tone was stern. It amused Rio, she could tell. It was the way her licked his lips and leaned forward in a way that’s practically asking for more. With that though, she had to see her beaten and bruised husband, who now seemed not only terrified of Rio, but of her as well. She figured she’d ignore him.

The gang member chuckled again in that same way he did before. It drew her in. “Then why you sending me to jail, baby?” Rio countered. “That ain’t how this game works.”

Beth gulped. “You fired me,” she reminded him. “I know too much for you to just let me go. You would have—”

“Killed you?” Rio finished for her. “Killed your girls?” Beth looked down and nodded. “That was never the plan, mamma. All I did was tell you to go home.” He was more serious now. No jokes, no games.

“But I know too much…”

“But you ain’t a rat.” Rio stood up and slowly made his way to her. “Well, you didn’t seem like one anyway. Now things maybe—”

She’s not a rat. Beth interjected, “I was looking out for my family.” Her voice shook a little while she said it. Why did she feel tears coming to her eyes again? “Not that that completely worked out,” she said, alluding to Dean, who was still frozen and silent.

Now Rio was right in front of her. “I know _everything_ , Elizabeth. Don’t forget that,” he reminded her. “So I know that that piece of shit deserved it.” He laughed. “Faking his cancer? I’m sure that’s a new low.” Dean gasped at the sound of that. He didn’t know anyone knew that.

“Are you gonna let me let him go?” Beth asked, slowly walking around Rio and towards her husband. She didn’t say a single thing about the cancer situation or about whether or not he deserved what had been done to him. “One way or another, he is not involved in this.” There was a lot of emotion in her voice and while Rio understood, Dean did not.

“Do what you want with him,” Rio offered. “I did my share.” His flasher the car man his infamous smirk. He was quite the cocky motherfucker.

Beth untied her husband and simply said, “Get out.” She didn’t look out him. Dean wondered if she was angry at him, if she pitied him or felt anything else towards him. When he didn’t move, she repeated herself. “Get out.”

Dean looked between the gangbanger and his wife. “I— I can't leave you here with that animal,” he stuttered anxiously. “He’s going to hurt you.”

“No, he won’t,” she replied, not knowing whether or not she believed herself.

“Look at what he’s done to you, Beth,” Dean stood and grabbed her shoulders as if he was going to try and shake some sense into you. “He’s completely changed who you are, Beth. Come with me. We have to get out of here—”

“I have things to handle. I’m not leaving,” Beth interjected. “You are. You’re going to go to the kids.” Her voice was stern. “Now get out.”

“I— I—”

Rio laughed, mocking the pathetic man he saw in front of him. “Better listen to her, man.” His gaze to Dean was one that was menacing and mocking all in one. It was quite easy to make a fool out of this man. “...Or else.” He raised his eyebrows tauntingly.

Dean looked at Beth, about to question her one last time, but he knew that she wasn’t messing around right now. After a beat, he let out a heavy breath and exited out the back door. This wasn’t his business, whether he liked it or not.

When the door closed, Beth turned back to Rio. She should be more scared than she is, but she isn’t. “Well,” she started, watching his feet as he slowly stepped  
closer to her again. “What are you going to do with me?”

Rio didn’t reply. Instead, he simply invaded her personal space as he always did, wedging his way between her and the dining room table, where he leaned back and crossed his arms. Beth stood her ground, as she always did and Rio was intrigued. His facial expression was unreadable right now. He scrutinized her, as she did him.

There was silence. They were so close to each other that the only thing either of them could hear was the sound of each other breathing. There was always a tension between them and while Rio was constantly on high alert, standing this close to her with her breath almost touching his skin, it weakened. He found himself only focusing on her and that’s not how it’s supposed to be.

Breaking the quiet streak, Rio asked the same question he did before. “Tell me what you want again.” His angular brows questioned her.

Beth lips parted, but at first no sound came out. No matter the situation, she always felt flustered around him. Cleaning her throat and blinking out of her haze, she spoke. “I want this job. I want to keep learning from you,” she reminded him, but he already knew. “I want to be respected by you.”

“Respected?”

“Respected.”

Rio grinned at her before letting out another laugh. “Oh, mamma, you ain’t gotta worry ‘bout that,” he shook his head and laughed. “I respect you.” Was he joking? “Takes a lot of guts to send a man like me to the joint.” No, he wasn’t joking. “No one would dare to try and pull that shit on my in my hood.”

Beth gulped, processing his words in her head, which was going to take awhile. “Oh,” she said, not sure of herself.

“Having the balls to launder money while you just a momma-dearest type suburban bitch gave you my respect,” Rio continued on. “Having the balls to hit the same grocery store twice and not get caught gave you my respect.” Humor and thrill coursed through his voice. “Having the balls to send me to the clink gave you my respect… not that that’s something I plan on forgivin’ you for anytime soon.” The rasp in his voice was captivating, calm and cool all in one.

So he does respect her. That’s what Beth wanted. “Oh,” she breathed out again. The words had to replay in her mind before she commented. What stuck out to her, of course, was that there were no plans of forgiveness in their future and in a way, she understood. “I— I’m— Uh, sorry about the jail thing…”

“Ain’t got the time for apologies, sweetheart.”

Beth nodded, looking down at their feet, which were only centimeters apart. “Well…” She looked back up at him. “That’s only one of them. I still want a job,” she said assertively.

Rio smirked. The nerve that this woman had was unmatchable. “You bitches always demanding shit, huh?”

“I’m one bitch,” Beth clarified. “This whole thing, from start to end… it was all me.” She doesn’t want anything to happen to Ruby or Annie, so she might as well take the fall for it all. Plus, he said he wasn’t planning on hurting her, so she’s gotta go all in now.

Rio’s eyebrows raised high on his forward and his crossed his arms. Every movement he made felt like a challenge towards her. “I ain’t stupid, y’know?” This was a challenge. “You can’t work alone, Elizabeth,” he said seriously. “I know they was in on it too, but nah, don’t worry… you three got a shit ton of debt to pay off now, so like you asked, you still in for a job.” Her looked at her intently. “A lot of jobs, actually.” He paused. “Because I’m gonna need that cash.”

Beth nodded in understanding. She wasn’t going to have a choice in the matter either way, but after all, this is what she wanted. “I understand,” she said. A second later an alarm practically sounded off in her head. Rio saw the pure panic that suddenly came over her features and raised and eyebrow in curiosity. “A-Annie? Ruby? Are they okay?” She stepped back nervously. “Did you send your guys—”

“Aye,” Rio interrupted her and grabbed her waist, turning her to face him in an attempt to stop her from freaking out. “They’re fine. My men don’t know it was you who locked me up and they won’t know,” he clarified. Beth let out a breath of relief. “I only came to you and I ain’t visiting them.”

Beth breath shook a little at the way he singled her out. She didn’t know if it was out of fear or attraction; either way, she didn’t like it. “Why just me?” It came out as a whisper.

“You stand up to me. It’s… entertaining.” Rio tilted his head as if he was wondering if that was the correct answer. He seemed to accept it, but continued on. “And I know you have it in you to negotiate with me, darling.” He leaned forward, not letting her waist go.

Suddenly, like gravity was pulling them together, they were inches apart. “Oh,” she whispered. “Okay.” She had questions, but the all disappeared when she accidentally looked at his lips as he licked them. “Y-You should clean up. You’re bleeding,” she whispered, lifting her hand up almost to touch his cheek, but stopping before she had the chance. That would’ve been weird, _wouldn’t it?_ “Y-You can use the towel by the sink in the kitchen… if you want.” Her chest heaved up and down as she breathed so close to his skin.

Rio watched her eyes scan his face and as she studied his lips, he studied hers. This was ridiculous. Here he was practically drooling about the woman who just sent him to jail. He had to thank the heavens that he was training in being able to keep secrets. Ignoring that feeling between them, he cleared his throat and nodded. “Yeah, whatever,” he played coolly as he removed his hands and took a step backwards.

“I’ll, uh, get the first aid kit if you need it…”

“It’s just a scratch, mamma,” Rio laughed. She was an earnest person, which is something he would never be able to understand. Plus, no one’s ever even been kind enough to offer a place for him to clean himself up after a fight. Normally all that he gets asked is if he finished the job and that’s that. No one cares about a few cuts and bruises in his line of work unless it gets you dead.

Almost forgetting that a gang leader such as Rio himself was the person she was speaking to, she put on her mother face and her mother tone. “Do you want to get an infection?” Her eyebrows were raised in a way that challenged him.

Rio laughed lightly, as he always did and said, “Alright, mamma. Alright.” Beth got the first aid kit and surprsing him, she started cleaning his cuts for him. “Hmm,” he acknowledged her, but didn’t say anything else.

“So…” Beth cleared her throat as she clean off his cuts. “This negotiation you brought up,” she began. “What’s that entail?” She accidentally caught eyes with him and felt a shiver run down her spin.

“Well, darling,” Rio put a hand on her forearm. “You and I are going to be seein’ each other a lot more than usual.” He licked his bottom lip and looked from her eyes to her agape mouth. He couldn’t keep himself from smirked. “Double time. Twice the work. Twice the danger.”

Beth gulped and took a slight step back, not knowing how to react. “Well… I look forward to working with you.”

Just at that moment, Rio’s cell phone rang. He answered it and stood up quickly, ready to leave. Beth put her head down and let out a breath. She had to clear her head, so at least this was over for the night. She gasped when his pointer finger and his middle finger came under her chin and tilted her head up. There she was again, just centimeters from his lips. “I’ll be seein’ you soon, sweetheart.”


End file.
